Jenwill630

I had herniated my L5/S1 disc in the fall of 2015 and finally had surgery to repair it in Spring 2016.
My recovery was absolute hell.
While I was able to walk, it certainly was not without pain. While the surgery helped the numbness in my leg, my back felt worse>

I had an endless cycle happening.......my weight was not helping with the back pain and the back pain was not helping in my effort to lose weight.

After the 1st month of having Gastric Bypass, I was able to get out of bed without having to roll out of bed, I was able to walk without pain and then I started to TRULY exercise again.

Don't compare your journey to anyone else's.

We all hit our own "rock bottom" that acts as our final decision to have the surgery....for some they are 215 pounds, for others, they are 515 pounds. But we eventually have all gotten to that point or we wouldn't be sharing our stories on here.

Eat your Protein, stick to your plan, drink your Water, get some exercise, get good rest and you will be hitting your goal before you know it!

Don't compare your journey to anyone else's.

We all hit our own "rock bottom" that acts as our final decision to have the surgery....for some they are 215 pounds, for others, they are 515 pounds. But we eventually have all gotten to that point or we wouldn't be sharing our stories on here.

Eat your Protein, stick to your plan, drink your Water, get some exercise, get good rest and you will be hitting your goal before you know it!

I regret not having this surgery at a lower weight, like 230. I would be at my goal by now. My coworker's niece had the surgery in February at 215 and is already like 10lbs from her goal weight. I have gotten a lot better at not comparing myself to others' progress, but seeing how quick "lighter" WLS patients have hit their goals makes me feel sad at my own journey and that I waited so long.

Maybe eat a planned amount rather then just eating until you are full. It took me a while to get the hang of feeling full so I just pre-measured my food and that’s what I ate.

I live about 30 minutes from Punxsutawney... 40 mins from Johnstown... about 1 hour from Pittsburgh/Altoona lol that area.
Thank you! I've been in bed by 6 PM most days. My mother actually called me lazy a few weeks ago. It eats at me but do I get off my butt and try? No... I need to keep positive... and I do have a few channels in mind for exercise. I just hope this funk I'm in passes and I can pull my head out of my butt...

I had my RNY on 1-29-18 and no complications.

I was up and walking 2 hours after surgery and made it a point that every hour to get up and do a lap around the hallway then come back and do my incentive spirometer.
I was released the next day which was great.
I took tylenol the day after I was home for the slight aches I had from the incisions and didn't have to take any since.

It has been trial and error with foods I can tolerate.....I can't do anything with Tomato paste, beef is OK if ground only, pork has to be very lean and I sadly can not do chicken wings.

I had my RNY on 1-29-18 and no complications.

I was up and walking 2 hours after surgery and made it a point that every hour to get up and do a lap around the hallway then come back and do my incentive spirometer.
I was released the next day which was great.
I took tylenol the day after I was home for the slight aches I had from the incisions and didn't have to take any since.

It has been trial and error with foods I can tolerate.....I can't do anything with Tomato paste, beef is OK if ground only, pork has to be very lean and I sadly can not do chicken wings.

I had my RNY on 1-29-18 and no complications.

I was up and walking 2 hours after surgery and made it a point that every hour to get up and do a lap around the hallway then come back and do my incentive spirometer.
I was released the next day which was great.
I took tylenol the day after I was home for the slight aches I had from the incisions and didn't have to take any since.

It has been trial and error with foods I can tolerate.....I can't do anything with Tomato paste, beef is OK if ground only, pork has to be very lean and I sadly can not do chicken wings.

Yes!!!
PB2 in my GNC Total Lean 25 banana shakes!!!!
It is awesome!

I also add PB2 to greek yogurt.

But we are talking a sweet treat, not a meal ....
@GradyCat that pic looks delicious!

I work in Pgh, but live up in Armstrong. Route 28 sucks!

I had my RNY on 1-29 at Butler Hospital by Dr. Daniel Gagne.

I started this journey @ 470lbs. I'm 5 1/2 months post-op and today I weighed in at 369lbs!
I'd like to encourage all the pre-op/recent surgery folks. Stick with it...Follow the steps. It's not easy but it's more than worth it.
Good luck and God bless us all on this journey!

I have been eating the heck out of the Progresso Lentil Soup. It's like I am addicted to it. LOL

I cleaned my house really good the weekend before.
I froze some Soups that i thought I would like in 1/2 cup containers.

I made the mistake of stocking up on SF Jello.....since the surgery, I can not stand the taste of it.

I had a food funeral to end all food funerals, a week of over indulgence. So much so I gained 5 pounds. I only had a two day pre-op diet, so it was not enough time to lose what I gained. Luckily it did not end up complicating a thing and I went on to lose 114 pounds in 10 months.

You're approaching this journey the way a lot of people do and there's no right or wrong way to kick off your pre-op diet. Congratulations on your weight loss so far and keep moving forward. Starting today, your life will change for the better and you will remain motivated and on track. We will be here to cheer you on and share our experiences to help you along the way. Good luck!

The crockpot is a the best appliance I have in my house....even before I had WLS.

We have 5 kids (1 left in the nest and he leaves for school in August!) and they played sports year round, my hubby travels for work and I work full time. There are times I have used the crockpot 3 times a week.

Another thing i just started using is the instant pot. Holy heck does that thing cook fast!!! I love it!

Start looking on pinterest for recipes.....tons and tons of recipes!!!!

Just popping on to say hi and see how all us January post-ops are doing?

I have been back to work since 2 weeks after and last week was the first time in ages I worked out 5 days.
I had tried a couple of times to go to the gym more than 2 days a week, but OMG by the end of the day, I was entirely too tired to go to the gym and wound up in bed by 8. LOL I am still pretty beat at the end of the day, but I am pushing through it. Honestly, Saturday at the gym with my son was probably the best workout I had in months. I had energy and felt really good. It made me wish my gym was closer to my house. I belong to a planet fitness that is on my way home from work. I should just suck it up and go anyway even if it is out of the way on the weekends.

So my eating is going OK, but I have discovered "the foamies" a few times which was NOT fun. At my appointment last week, my Dr. told me to stay eating soft right now and each week try a new food a little tougher. Well last night I decided on steak and I realized it is NOT worth it to have to chew so much for that. I will skip on steak until further down the road. There are plenty of other foods I can enjoy.

I am hoping to loose at least 11 more pounds before the 23rd. That would give me 40 pounds down since surgery.....and I haven't seen my daughter since the day before surgery and would love for her to come home on spring break and just be in shock!

The hubby is being super supportive still which is great. When he is off the road and cooking, he is constantly asking if I can eat what he has in mind for dinner. It makes it nice.

Some foods I found good during puree were:

chicken salad
Fat free refried Beans with some salsa for moisture, cheese and sour cream
Broccoli cheese soup
Lobster bisque soup
chili

And a few times during dinner, I just threw a serving size of whatever the family was having into my mini food processor.

That's exactly what I was afraid of and worried that I would feel too vulnerable and not confident enough to fend them off. So I only told a few close relatives (like my husband and kids) . about my surgery. No one at my work knows. Many of my "not so close" relatives have struggled with their own weight loss and regain, and I don't want to be under their scrutiny and judgement of my decision for surgery. I don't know if I will ever tell them. They will notice the weight loss for sure, but I don't have a problem telling them that I am eating a lot less, exercising a lot more, and using all the tools I know to achieve success.
My heart goes out to you, because it must be really hard being under the microscope of the "diet police." I hope you come up with some really good one-liners! "Have you ever seen a fat monkey?" (In regard to the banana.) Please share what you come up with.

Absolutely. It's also annoying on WLS boards as well. 😂

First let me say I wish you good luck on any procedure you choose to do.
After careful consideration and many research, I am leaning towards the bypass. ( I need to talk with my doctor about my decision). From what I've read on here and my online research they both are beneficial and they both have pros and cons. For me the reason I am leaning towards the bypass is that based on what I have read from my own research and **this is my opinion ***I found many people are either regaining some of their weight or have stalled. I also understand that it is a tool and some may not follow it to the letter causing regain or stalled weight loss. The sleeve is also a big procedure as it includes removing at least 80% of ones stomach.
The good thing is that this forum is available with loads of information and many people experiences from both surgeries that can be a teachable opportunity and I am grateful for that.

I dont cook on Fridays either ! My family got pizza two Fridays ago and I almost killed them all a slow and painful death though.
I am going out for a friends bday this week also. Just the two of us,....I told her to feel free and get a drink if she wants, it won't phase me. I thought I would miss drinking (wine enthusiast here) but I have zero desire right now, which is great. and Zoups is good!

I was pretty nauseous the first couple of days after surgery too. My Dr. wrote me a script for Zofran and it helped ALOT.

You are going to be tired the first week afterward. Heck I am 1 month post op and at the end of some days, I just go home and go straight to bed. But it will get better, I am sure of it. The body needs to heal after surgery and that can take a while.

I honestly didn't have any problems getting comfortable in bed after surgery. I slept on my side that night in the hospital. And since home, there is nothing more comfy than getting into bed in a fetal position with my heated blanket!!!!

Just keep sipping your Water every couple of minutes.